Private Tour
Cave Church in Garbage City and Coptic Quarter of Old Cairo.
Overview
Available languages
4 hours
Mobile ticket
In the morning pick up from your hotel in Cairo and visit the Monastery of Saint Simon, also known as the Cave Church of Zabbaleen. It is located in the Mokattam Mountain, a short drive through the so called “Garbage City’ – a large population of garbage collectors or Zabbaleen that live there. Several churches have been built into the caves found in Mokattam, First we visit, Saint Simon the Tanner Hall and St. Mark’s Church.
This huge cave was discovered in the year 1974. It was full of hundreds of tons of stones even up to the ceiling of the cave (which is 17 meters high from the ground), and was later prepared to contain two stores: 1. The upper story is the St. Simon the Tanner Hall, with seating capacity of 2000 people for spiritual meetings. The walls are decorated with many wonderful pictures engraved on the rocks representing scenarios from the Bible
Then we continue and visit the Cathedral of Virgin Mary and St. Simon the Tanner. After the tour transfer back to your hotel.
Additional Info
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus
The church is dedicated to Sergius and Bacchus, who were soldier-saints martyred during the 4th century in Syria by the Roman Emperor Maximina. The most interesting feature is the crypt where Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus are said to have rested. The crypt is 10 meters deep and, when Nile levels are high, is often flooded.
The Hanging Church
The Hanging Church is named for its location above a gatehouse of Babylon Fortress, the Roman fortress in Coptic Cairo (Old Cairo); its nave is suspended over a passage.The church is approached by twenty-nine steps; early travelers to Cairo dubbed it "the Staircase Church". The land surface has risen by some six meters since the Roman period, so the Roman tower is mostly buried below ground, reducing the visual impact of the church's elevated position.
What‘s Included
Private transportation
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Air-conditioned vehicle
Qualified Egyptologist guide
Gratuities
Lunch
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Options
Cave Church in Garbage City and Coptic Quarter of Old Cairo.
Pickup included
Reviews
16 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Great tour and tour company!!
larryr54,,Feb 3, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Excellent tour! We have had nothing but exceptional service from Twitter Egypt Tours. Starting with our airport pickup and continuing with the local tours that we have taken with them! Out tour guide Joseph was a wealth of knowledge and gave us a super tour of coptic Cairo and the wonderful Museum of Civilization! Seeing the mummies is something one should not miss! Again an excellent company to deal with. Issac was quick to answer our requests. Kyrllios is an amazing driver in this traffic madness! Super!! Super!!
Extraordinary Tour Guide in Cairo
447jurateb,,Nov 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We booked a private tour in Cairo visiting Cairo's National Museum, old city, and felucca ride. Our tour guide Gina was extremely professional and knowledgeable in Ancient Egyptian history. She told us many interesting facts and fascinating stories. She made our tour adventurous and filled with fun. Gina also recommended what else to visit while in Cairo. I totally recommend spending one day with Gina, no matter the places you go. Biggest Thanks to Gina for a wonderful day in Cairo. Jurate
Spectacular experience
B6119LZpeteri,,Oct 19, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was an amazing tour and one filled with the perfect amount of activities/sites for anyone who is looking to see the amazing history in Cairo. Highly recommend the team from Twitter Egypt Travel who organised everything from tours, bookings and transport to and from the hotel.
Hida, an exceptional guide!
Compass575100,,Sep 22, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Hoda was an excellent, interesting and professional guide! Our driver was excellent, too. Thank you Hoda for an exceptional experience!
Fascinating tour of Coptic Cairo, Hangimg Church, Church of Abu Serga and the market.
JVM-Tf,,Jul 1, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Another great tour of Cairo with my excellent guide Simon, who was able to bring the tour to life. Would recommend to anyone interested in the history of Cairo. Thoroughly recommended
Contact Twitter Egypt for all your private or group tours in Cairo and Egypt. Highly recommend
Susan C,,May 17, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Twitter Egypt provided us with a 1 day private Cairo tour exploring the GEM museum, Coptic’s Cairo and the St Simon Monastry Cave Church. I would recommend Twitter Egypt for all tours they provide.. felt completely safe in their hands. Guide Gina had a wealth of Egyptian knowledge and passionate about her country. Our driver Kyrolos was an outstanding driver in the chaotic streets of Cairo… we felt incredibly safe… Kyro had a great sense of humour and between he and Gina, we had a great day in Cairo. Would absolutely recommend this company owned by Isaac. 5/5. Driver and guide Kyrolos also took my husband and I and our 2 travelling friends on a traditional felucca boat ride at sunset… it was a great ending to our visit in Cairo before we travelled further on the Nile. 5/5
Excellent informative tour with Hoda!
Compass575100,,May 5, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Excellent informative tour with our guide Hoda! Our driver Kiro was always ready to pick us up and was a fantastic safe driver. Hoda was kind and very knowledgeable. We visited the Hanging Church, Cavern Church where the Holy Family lived, and the Ben Ezra Synagogue where Moses was drawn from the Nile, all 3 in the Coptic Quarter. We drive thru Garbage City and learned how the people who live there sort garbage. Then on to the Summer and Winter Cave Churches carved out the mountain. Hoda explained the miracle of the mountain that moved. I highly recommend this tour! Hoda was organized and offered to take our pictures throughout the tour. Very moving adventure!
Wonderful tour
richblum,,Feb 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a wonderful tour with Dina. Not only was she knowledgeable. She was also very personable. We enjoyed our time with her and learning from her.
Coptic Cairo a must see for those who appreciate religious antiquity.
Tim G,,Jan 16, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great day with Gina to Coptic Cairo. Gina is very knowledgeable on the history of the area, and of Egypt in general. We spent the first 30 minutes over coffee learning some history which gave us a nice foundation for what we were about to see. Gina is extremely personable, and she was not in any rush. She also took us to some nice shopping opportunities. A fantastic time overall and highly recommend.
Amazing PLaces and great guide
785tomaszb,,Dec 16, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Place is unique and amazing and definetly worth seeing. Our tour guide, Hoda, was incredibly knowledgeable, outgoing and friendly. She made a lot of pictures for us and always asked if we need more time to enjoy or have any additioanl questions relatd to the places we wanted to visits. Her language skills were extremely good and she explained highlights of the tours in very interesting way.. She was very attentive to our needs and requests, adjusting to fit our plan the best way possible. Our driver was Mario who drove safely and delivered us wherever we needed to go quickly. On first day we adjusted order of places we were going to visit based on traffic and this way we could spend more time experiencing Cairo. Thanks!
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